Abstract ID: 3.13504 | Not reviewed | Requested as: Talk | TBA | TBA

Natural disturbances are an important part of the dynamics of mountain spruce forests and have a major influence on forest structure, resource availability and biodiversity. However, as a result of recent climate change, the natural disturbance regime is shifting towards greater intensity and frequency. As extreme disturbances become more frequent, there is growing concern about the ability of forests to regenerate while maintaining their ecosystem functions. Understanding the effects of large-scale disturbances on forest structure and function, including the ability of forests to regenerate, is therefore crucial.
This study investigates the regeneration dynamics of primary mountain spruce forest in the Šumava National Park after a large-scale bark beetle (Ips typographus) outbreak. Our aim is to determine how the spatial structure of the forest evolves after a stand-replacing disturbance. Initial analyses revealed an aggregated spatial pattern – living trees clustered with each other and with standing dead trees. As a result of clustering, newly regenerating individuals reflect the former forest structure – areas with a high number of trees in the parent stand are likely to remain dense in the future, while regeneration-free gaps are expected to persist. This suggests that the spatial structure of the forest can be maintained to a large extent even after intensive disturbance.